Work is in Cupertino. Where should a single guy live? (San Jose: to rent, college)

[SideHouse]

Hi,

I'm a single guy, just about to turn 30 and will be starting work in Cupertino (near De Anza College) next month. I'm trying to figure out where to start looking for a place to rent.

I've spent some time visiting friends in Palo Alto and Mountain View, but beyond that I don't have a good sense for what it's like to live in the bay area.

I like really the downtown areas of PA and MV compared to Cupertino's strip malls. SF has some appeal too, but it seems like a pretty brutal commute, even on 280.

My two priorities are:
*Good proportion of single people in my age group
*Reasonable commute

Any thoughts?

[BayAreaHillbilly]

You're on the right track looking at the Peninsula.

Also, maybe check out the better parts of San Jose's urban core.

Beyond that, Los Gatos is sort of happening, and even Campbell has some life to it.

[Jonotastic]

Santa Clara?

[lovegibna]

SF may seem appealing, but boy is that one hell of a commute. Avoid the 101 like the plague if nothing else. If you're willing to take Cal Train that may be an option... but I don't believe there are any stations near De Anza College.
Let's see... if you're looking for people around your age group then Palo Alto and Moutain View would be the best bets (alot of Standford alumni living in that area as well as your average yuppie). Santa Clara, Cupertino, Sunnyvale, even Los Altos are more family orientated cities. Los Gatos is really nice and quaint if you're looking for that type of thing. I think a great area to look at is Willow Glenn, a friend of mine just moved there from Arizona and says the location is great and there's alot of happenings around the city. Hope that helps!

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by SideHouse

Hi,

I'm a single guy, just about to turn 30 and will be starting work in Cupertino (near De Anza College) next month. I'm trying to figure out where to start looking for a place to rent.

I've spent some time visiting friends in Palo Alto and Mountain View, but beyond that I don't have a good sense for what it's like to live in the bay area.

I like really the downtown areas of PA and MV compared to Cupertino's strip malls. SF has some appeal too, but it seems like a pretty brutal commute, even on 280.

My two priorities are:
*Good proportion of single people in my age group
*Reasonable commute

Any thoughts?

I think Palo Alto/Mountain View is probably a good fit....if you can comfortably afford the rents in those place. MV is a bit cheaper.

Never in a million years would I commute every day from San Francisco, but that's just me. I think commuting that is insane, but a fair number of people do it.